depicting the horse's death after crossing the finish line, the subsequent funeral, and new ending. Buchman, who finished the new scenes only a few hours before the final race scene was filmed, was never credited for his contribution. He would later write the screenplay for Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Casting According to cinematographer Joseph Walker and sound engineer Edward Bernds, Capra wanted Clark Gable for the leading role, but the actor was unavailable. Capra settled for Warner Baxter, whose fear of horses restricted Capra's ability to film close-up scenes with the actor and the horse. Disappointed in the few close-up scenes he managed to film, he vowed to remake the film with an actor who loved horses. He got his opportunity when he cast Bing Crosby in his remake of the film, Riding High (1950). Capra cast Myrna Loy and Helen Vinson as the female leads, and Walter Connolly was cast as J. L. Higgins. A twenty-three-year-old Lucille Ball appeared briefly in one scene as a blonde telephone operator. For the role of stable hand Whitey, Capra chose African-American actor-writer-composer Clarence Muse, a graduate of the Dickinson School of Law in Pennsylvania, who always delivered restrained performances and was one of Capra's favorite supporting players. Filming Broadway Bill was filmed between June 18 and August 16, 1934 at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, and on location at Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno, California, Warner Bros. Ranch, and the Pacific Coast Steel Mills. After an initial preview on October 24, Capra re-edited some scenes based upon audience reaction. Release Broadway Bill premiered on November 30, 1934 in New York City, and was released in the United States on December 27, 1934. Through October 1936 the film had domestic theater rentals of almost $670,000 according to Variety magazine surveys of the time. Critical response In his review for The New York Times, Andre Sennwald called the film a "sly and impertinent screen comedy, painlessly whimsical and completely engaging". Seenwald continues: Seenwald goes on to praise the performances of the entire cast, singling out the "enormously agreeable" Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy who "reaffirms our faith in her, both as a light comedienne and as a person". Seenwald concludes by recommending Broadway Bill "without reservations". In his review for AllMovie, Bruce Eder gave the film four out of five stars, writing that the film was "almost too much movie for